Malundo Kudiqueba
It is impossible to be a good politician while being a bad person.
We live in times when politics has become a stage of performances, where many confuse charisma with character, and where cunning is valued more than ethics. But there is one truth that, no matter how much they try to cover it with pretty speeches and empty promises, insists on surviving: it is impossible to be a good politician while being a bad person.
A good politician is not measured solely by their ability to manage budgets, speak in public, or win elections. Above all, they are measured by their integrity, empathy, moral consistency, and respect for others. And these are traits that cannot be invented for election campaigns — you either have them, or you don’t.
A bad person might well be an excellent manipulator, might play the chess game of power with skill, and might even win votes with catchy phrases and populist promises. But sooner or later, the truth comes out. Because someone who lies to their children, betrays friends, or mistreats the vulnerable, will also betray the people. Personal character and public ethics go hand in hand — always.
Some say, “private life is private life.” What does it matter if a politician cheats on their spouse, humiliates subordinates, or behaves arrogantly, as long as they know how to govern? Well, it matters a great deal. Because someone who doesn’t respect those closest to them will not respect those below them either. And politics, at its core, is service — serving everyone, especially those most in need. And that requires humanity.
A politician without principles might build projects, cut ribbons, launch programmes, and flash smiles on social media. But in the end, they will leave behind a trail of mistrust, opportunism, and moral corruption. Because politics, when it has no soul, becomes a machine of vanity and shady deals.
Just look around us — in Angola, Portugal, Brazil, or any corner of the world: the worst political scandals almost always have roots in a failure of character. Corruption, nepotism, arrogance, dehumanisation — all of it stems from the same source: the bad person disguised as a good politician.
That’s why, when we choose leaders, we must look beyond their speeches. Watch how they treat the weak, how they handle disagreement, how they behave when power gets to their heads. Because there is no decent politics without decent people.
It’s time we said it, loud and clear:
We don’t want brilliant politicians with small souls.
We want good people in power.
Because only those who are good on the inside can truly do good on the outside.
Birmingham, June 19, 2025
Este post já foi lido 1566 vezes.
